Washington: US President Donald Trump for the first time, strongly suggested that current Vice President JD Vance could be the frontrunner to inherit his Make America Great Again (MAGA) mantle.
However, Trump cautioned that it's still too early to settle on a successor for the 2028 presidential race, leaving the door open for other Republican figures.
'Most Likely' But Not Final
At a White House event on Tuesday, Trump was asked about the Secretary of State Macro Rubio's remarks on Fox News, wherein Rubio praised Vance as a "great nominee" for the future. As per a Bloomberg report, referring to Vance, Trump responded saying, "I think most likely, in all fairness, he's the Vice President.
He added, "I think Marco is also somebody that maybe would get together with JD in some form." Despite his apparent leaning, Trump kept his options open, saying, "It’s too early, obviously, to talk about it, but certainly he’s doing a great job, and he would be probably favoured at this point."
Trump Rules Out Third Term
Earlier on the same day, in an interview with CNBC, the US President said he would "probably not" seek a third term, something the US Constitution does not allow as of now. Nevertheless, he cntinues to exert enormous influence over the Republican Party in his second term.
Trump previously named both Vance and Rubio (one-time critics turned staunch allies) as potential heirs to his political movement, but had refrained from issuing a formal endorsement for either of them. Recently in February, he had said "no" when asked whether he saw Vance as his political successor, arguing it was too soon to make that decision.
Vance, a former senator from Ohio known for championing Trump’s brand of economic populism, was chosen as his 2024 running mate after a fallout with former VP Mike Pence over the 2020 election certification.
